News Article

Turkish Manufacturer Next To Start Alloy Frame Production

ANKARA, Turkey – One of the latest reshoring initiatives to create supply chain flexibility in the European bicycle industry is the start of alloy frame production for bikes in Turkey.

Currently all aluminium frame production takes place in Asia. That’s changing now. – Photo Bike Europe

According to reports a company from outside the bicycle industry but with ties to one of Europe’s biggest bike makers is now stepping into robotized aluminium frame making. And it is said that they are doing it on a huge scale. Production capacity stands initially at one million units annually. But the company has the capability to increase it to a magnitude level of four million framesets. It can do this as this Turkish company is big as well as financially strong, says a reliable industry source.

The Turkish company is a maker of refrigerators. And not a small one, as it processes thousands of tons of raw aluminium with its 15 or so extruders. Bike Europe’s industry source has visited the Turkish company and was impressed by the fully robotized bicycle frame production as well as the scale of the production process.

Triangles in Europe

The Turkish initiative follows the creation of the Portuguese company Triangles by three renowned parts makers which has already started its robotized production as Bike Europe earlier reported. Manufacturing aluminium frames in Europe for use in electric bikes as well as in high-end sports bicycles is regarded as a strategic move within the plans to bring lead times down; create more supply chain flexibility and with that increase the speed to market. This is seen as essential by some of the biggest players in Europe. Currently all aluminium frame production takes place in Asia. That’s changed now.

For more on all matters related to the current initiatives for creating supply chain flexibility and to increase the speed to market ability of the European industry, download the Bike Europe December 2016 issue with a special on supply chain flexibility.